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15 creative Christmas commercials to inspire you

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It's that time of year when we're bombarded with Christmas commercials galore. Here, we take a look back at 15 of the most creative that have landed on our screens.

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't escape the avalanche of Christmas commercials landing on your television screens. From the classic to the cult, there's no denying that Christmas commercials have a uge impact on the festive season.

We've picked some old school offerings as well as some brand new adverts in this list of 15 creative Christmas commercials. Is your favourite included?

01. UNICEF

This is a Christmas commercial that gets to the very core of the Christmas spirit. Created by Forsman & Bodenfors, the ad aims to highlight the fact that many of us receive gifts that are of no use. Instead, UNICEF are encouraging a new audience to invest in vaccines, medicine and nutrition for those that really need it. A great spin on the three wise men story.

02. Cartier

In March this year, Cartier released animated spot L'Odyssée de Cartier, which has received a monumental 16 million views on YouTube. It comes as no surprise then, that this Christmas offering is just as inticing. Created by Paris-based creative studio Unit Image, who specialise in 3D animation and VFX, the company did an amazing job bringing this latest Cartier tale to life.

03. Debenhams

Although it may not strike you as particularly creative at first glance, this is a Christmas commercial that takes full advantage of the YouTube audience. As the advert plays, little pop-ups appear of the products on show, which when clicked will take you straight through to it on the Debenhams website.

04. Harvey Nichols

This sci-fi inspired ad from retail giants Harvey Nichols is a breath of fresh air when it comes to that same dress dilemma. This Christmas commercial shows the same-dress ladies battling it out complete with eye lasers and some serious battle moves. It's a truly creative spin on a truly recycled theme.

05. NBA

A simple yet memorable Christmas commercial from the NBA, the ad showcases the special Christmas jerseys the players will be wearing on the day of the game. Creating a famous Christmas tune with their basketballs, the Christmas commercial was created by Goodby, Silverstein Partners and directed by Michael Fitzmaurice.

06. Adidas

You probably haven't seen this brilliant TV spot by Adidas yet - it was only released yesterday. Putting a new spin on the Charles Dickens classic 'A Christmas Carol, it's illustrated by Beavis and Butthead artist JJ Sedelmaier. The video also features David Beckham, Stan Smith, Rita Ora and Derrick Rose.

07. Coca-Cola

It doesn't truly feel like the festival season until we see a Coca-Cola Christmas commercial, so how could we not include this gem? This long-running "Holidays are coming" campaign, centred around trucks delivering Coke to the masses and an irritatingly catchy song, has fast become engrained in the public consciousness and now seems as evocative of the season as carols and mince pieces. (Incidentally, before you censure us for not mentioning that Coca-Cola invented Santa's red and white colour scheme, that's because it's actually an urban myth).

08. Irn Bru

The Snowman is a picture-based children's book by English author Raymond Briggs, first published in 1978 and made into a film in 1982. This Christmas commercial for Irn Bru parodies the famous scene of the boy and his snowman flying, to the song "Walking in the Air". Not only did it delight UK audiences, it proved to be a breakthrough in getting American audiences interested in the drink.

09. SPAR

The logo for convenience store chain SPAR is a green tree, so it seems only right that they placed Christmas trees all over Ireland for their latest Christmas commerical campaign. The simple yet heart-warming ad was shot over 5 days by Irish directing duo D.A.D.D.Y and set to a cover of The Raveonette’s ‘The Christmas Song’ by Irish musicians Jape and Gemma Hayes.

10. New Jersey State Lottery

Ok, so we know this might be pushing the consumerism boundaries a bit far but this Christmas commercial created by Xenon and developed through Brushfire Inc offers a seamless mix of computer generated animation, matte painting, practical elements and live-action footage. Each animal is made up of dollar bills, with the animation giving them a lease of life.

11. Canadian Tire

Tissues at the ready. This adorable Christmas commercial features a young boy named Sam whose family relocates to a new home. Sam is worried Santa won't know where he's moved to but his Dad is quick to amend those woes. The clever, sentimental ad was created by advertising gurus Taxi.

12. Hershey's

This is a classic Christmas commercial that most Americans will remember from the festive seasons of Christmas past. The simplicity of this advert is what makes it work; the Christmas colours perfectly tying in with the Hershey's brand. lt was created by New York City's Ogilvy and Mather and was directed by animation expert Carl Willat. The commercial is still going strong after airing over 20 years ago!

13. Vodaphone

This animated Christmas commercial from Vodaphone is one of the best offerings of the year. It was directed by Nexus Productions Fx Goby and created by communications agency Grey London. Devised by creative director Simon Brotherson, the ad translates the wonderful style of illustrator Sanna Annuka into a piece of inspiring animation.

14. John Lewis

UK department store chain John Lewis have made the release of their Christmas commercials into become big media events, with TV stations battling it out to air each year's advert first. This year's brilliant ad was created by Adam&Eve/DDB and focuses on a snowman love story that has a twist in its tale.

15. Barclays

This real life Toy Story is the basis for the new Christmas commercial from British bank Barclays. Overwhelmed by the array of toy choices, a young man is approached by a 3D animated monkey (voiced by James Corden) who offers to help him with his Christmas gift. It was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty and directed by Chris Palmer.